Sneaky little Spago has quietly cracked its doors following the few months it closed for a revamp, with Zagat pointing us to a Wolfgang Puck tweet left last night that says, “Join us at the new #SpagoBH! We’re open for dinner, Mon-Sat, accepting reservations. Call: (310) 385-0880 for a wild night of unforgettable ecstasy.” Spago’s website also confirms the restaurant is back up and running. Already, HuffPo writer Jay Weston has deemed the place “sensational, sophisticated, and succulent.” Introducing his write-up with three preparatory paragraphs, Weston declares, “Probably no journalist has written more about Puck and his many worldwide endeavors than me,” before pointing his My First Sony cell phone camera at a few of the restaurant’s new dishes. So, what’s on the yet-to-be-finalized menu?
New elements of the restaurant include a massive glassed-in wall of 7,000 wine bottles, a patio with a retractable roof, and an open kitchen, giving the place a more contemporary look. Weston tucks into new dishes like a starting course of veal mignon tartar with mascarpone served inside of a bone (the succulent?), an upended, two-pound lobster prepared Hong Kong style (the sensational?), and turbot prepared tableside (sophisticated!)
The menu appears to be taking on a more pronounced Asian edge which should fit L.A. just fine, as chef de cuisine Tetsu Yahagi is also preparing Shanghai noodle dumplings, soba with crab and giant clams, ray served in a bamboo leaf, three-hour braised short ribs with black trumpet ‘shrooms, horseradish, and pickled mustard seeds, a sashimi plate, and seared slices of Catalan octopus, while retaining its Chino Farms vegetable salad, albeit in a new formation.
The writer also hints at a chicken breast and Jidori pastrami leg served with rye, a plate of prime cote d’boeuf, bacon-wrapped monkfish, chirashi, and a raviolo carbonara. Of course, we’re yet to get a glimpse ourselves, but it appears the new Spago is continuing its exploration of designer proteins and flower garnishes found at Wolfgang Puck at Bel-Air and the Chinese obsession it satisfies at WP24 and Chinois.
The “New” Spago Is Sensational, Sophisticated, Succulent! [HuffPo]
